Senior Technical Manager

Additional information

Role Description

• Lead and develop the Site Technical Organization: Overseeing Engineering, Maintenance, Utilities, IT & Automation, and Facilities. Build a high-performing technical team and fostering a strong culture of safety, quality, continuous improvement, and sustainability.
• Own technical performance and asset reliability: Improving OAE, reducing downtime and failures, ensuring safety & GMP/quality compliance, and providing robust technical support for production, utilities, and new product launches.
• Ensure engineering governance, project execution, and technical readiness: Define technical standards, oversee equipment lifecycle and change control, execute capital installations and Vertical Start-Ups, support innovation and industrialization, manage key suppliers, and align with global technical communities and corporate programs (e.g., ManEx, IIM).
• Deliver value through financial stewardship: Prioritize investments that eliminate losses and reduce costs, control depreciation and CAPEX/OPEX execution, translate reliability gains into capacity and savings.

Key Responsabilities 

Asset Reliability & Technical Performance

• Define and execute reliability strategy (preventive, predictive, condition-based maintenance).
• Improve OAE, MTBF, MTTR and eliminate chronic losses.
• Lead root cause analysis for major breakdowns and quality deviations.
• Drive spare parts strategy and critical asset management.
• Establish maintenance standards and reliability KPIs.

Engineering & Technical Governance

• Own equipment standards, technical specifications, and design guidelines.
• Approver of technical changes and modifications (change control).
• Ensure compliance with corporate engineering standards and GMP.
• Manage equipment lifecycle strategy (upgrade, retrofit, obsolescence).
• Provide technical risk assessments for operations and projects.
• Deliver promised execution through Vertical Start-Up management with startup team integration.
• Ensure discipline for Manta project full scope implementation.

Subject Matter Expertise & Process Optimization

• Lead SMEs (process, utilities, automation, packaging, mixing/filling technologies).
• Support process optimization, yield improvement, and cost reduction.
• Drive loss elimination and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure knowledge capture and technical standardization.
• Support troubleshooting of complex process and quality issues.
• Ensure flawless connection with the global technical community.

Compliance, GMP & Regulatory Readiness

• Ensure compliance with GMP, FDA, ISO, hygiene design, and validation requirements.
• Support IQ/OQ/PQ and validation of new or modified equipment.
• Ensure proper documentation, calibration, and traceability systems.
• Partner with Quality to maintain audit readiness.
• Maintain hygienic design and contamination control standards.

Capital Projects & Technical Readiness

• Provide technical requirements and standards for new equipment.
• Participate in FAT, SAT, commissioning, and vertical start-up.
• Ensure maintainability and reliability are embedded in design.
• Define spare parts, maintenance plans, and training before start-up.
• Support risk assessments and technical acceptance.
• Ensure a healthy depreciation profile, avoiding increases from non-productivity capital.
• Keep depreciation flat/decreasing for non-value investments.
• Demonstrate OAE improvements as capacity gains or cost savings reflected in future ICP.

Utilities & Infrastructure Reliability

• Ensure reliability of water systems, purified water loops, HVAC, compressed air, steam, and power.
• Maintain environmental controls and temperature/humidity compliance.
• Manage energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives.

Safety & Risk Management

• Ensure equipment safety compliance and safeguarding.
• Lead technical risk assessments and mitigation actions.
• Guarantee safe maintenance practices and contractor safety.

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Develop engineers, reliability specialists, and SMEs.
• Build technical competency frameworks and training plans.
• Foster a culture of problem-solving and data-driven decisions.
• Ensure cross-functional collaboration with Operations & Quality.

Digitalization & Smart Maintenance

• Predictive maintenance tools.
• Use data analytics for failure prediction and performance improvement.
• Support automation and Industry 4.0 initiatives

KPI Framework

Operational

• OEE/OEA improvement
• UPDT reduction
• MTBF, MTTR improvement

Financial

• Maintenance cost reduction
• Loss elimination savings vs. target
• Depreciation neutral for non-productivity CAPEX
• Capital adherence
• Opex adherence
• ROIC

Compliance & Quality

• 0 LTI / TIR
• 0 critical audit findings
• 100% GMP & validation compliance

People & Organization

• Engagement > company benchmark
• Critical skills coverage 100%.

Key Interfaces 

• Internal: All departments within the Itatiba site.

• External: Local suppliers / International suppliers / Latam region / Corporate Headquarters (HH)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Production Engineering, Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or similar.

Experience (in the field)

• 8 years of experience in Process Engineering and/or Manufacturing.
• 3 years of experience in Project Management

Special Requirements

• Solid technical expertise in Engineering and Project Management.
• Strong knowledge of industrial processes and serial filling & packing systems, as well as compounding technologies such as mixers/homogenization systems, CIP, Valve matrix, etc.
• Solid knowledge on Utilities, DI and Waste water treatment systems.
• Ability to lead improvement groups and cross-functional teams.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Strong Stakeholder management